• Jack Lembeck may only be 12 years old, but he has the confidence of a seasoned chef in the kitchen. The Lincoln Park resident is competing on FOX's "MasterChef Junior," and has found a mentor in Charlie Trotter protege Michael Taus.
Jack's love for cooking began at a young age, and his mother recalls him staying up late to read Trotter's cookbooks.
How did he he handle the heat of a kitchen run by the notorious Gordon Ramsay?
"It was really exciting. I wasn't too scared, but was a little," Jack said. "I tried my hardest to stay calm.
• Pilsen resident Trish Kahle didn't wake up Tuesday expecting to be a hero. She was waiting for her train at the Damen Pink Line stop when a man fell on the tracks. Kahle employed some quick thinking to save the man, grabbing a chainlink bike lock and wrapping it around his body.
"Thank God someone had a chain for locking up their bike. I don't think we could have pulled it off without that," she said, telling reporter Stephanie Lulay her story. "It was all a little bit surreal."
• The lake and river aren't the only bodies of water that are frozen. Reporter Ben Woodard captured video of a broken water main that flooded streets in Rogers Park Thursday evening.
As city crews worked to push the water out of the street, one adventurous cyclist tried to ford the flooded streets, but fell into the cold water. He let out a yelp and fled for drier ground.
• Hating this weather isn't only for humans.
As forecasts of minus 30 wind chills prompted Chicago Public Schools to cancel classes, Chicago area vets and shelters warned pet owners to take precautions for their furry family members, too. Kyla Gardner spoke to experts who gave a number of tips on how petowners can protect their animals during these cold days.
• When a local rapper and Internet prankster named VonMar filmed himself ransacking a Gold Coast 7-Eleven on New Year's Day, many people asked if he was worried about getting caught. That question was partially answered Friday, when VonMar, whose real name is Delvon Irving, appeared in court, facing charges of felony theft and misdemeanor property damage.
"You wanted to be famous," chided Judge Adam Bourgeois, before ordering VonMar held on $250,000 bail.
• Got an opinion on dibs? Mark Konkol does, and says it's a Chicagoan's right. After all, if you put in the work, you should reap the reward. Not everyone shares his opinion, though, and a healthy debate on the propriety of dibs followed.
• Prosecutors say a 32-year-old man fondled a 4-year-old child this week, minutes after completing his weekly registration as a sex offender.
"If the allegations are true, that's traumatizing for a child that's four years of age," Cook County Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil said during a brief bond hearing.
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